Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching
Classroom to Community and Back

Second Edition

Steffen Saifer - Education Northwest
Keisha Edwards - Education Northwest
Debbie Ellis - Education Northwest
Lena Ko - Education Northwest
Amy Stuczynski - Education Northwest

Other Titles in:
Administration & Leadership | Cultural Competence | Teaching At-Risk Students

June 2012 | 248 pages | Corwin

Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching helps primary and secondary teachers increase student motivation and achievement, leading to higher levels of student success. The authors focus on how teachers can tap into the inherent knowledge and culture that every student brings into the classroom to complement a standards-based curriculum. The book includes detailed examples of what culturally responsive standards-based teaching (CRSBT) looks like in actual school settings and includes a number of self-assessment and school assessment inventories and tools for use in the classroom.

Preface

List of Snapshots

List of Tools

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Learning From Students' Lives

Culturally Responsive and Standards-Based Together

Essential Elements

Implementing Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Continuum of Options and Opportunities for Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

2. Taking Stock of Current Classroom Practices

Finding Time and Resources

3. The Foundation for Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Getting to Know Your Cultural Self

Building Relationships With Students

Connecting With Families and the Community

Powerful Relationships Can Be Transformational

4. The Environment for Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Incorporating Culturally Responsive Materials Into the Environment

Engaging in Conversation

5. Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Curriculum

Using Standards in Curriculum Planning

Adding Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Practices to the Existing Curriculum

Creating Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Lessons and Units

Developing Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Projects

Developing Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Interdisciplinary Activities

6. Assessment and Reflection

Student Assessment

Reflection

Gathering Feedback From Families

7. Scaling Up: From Schoolwide to State-Level Efforts

Whole-School Focus on Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching and Learning

Effective Ongoing Professional Development

Taking Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Efforts to the District Level

Statewide Efforts

8. Teachers Learning and Growing With Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Conclusion

9. Background Research and Theoretical Base

Enhancing Engagement and Motivation in Learning

Creating Academic Rigor and Challenging Curricula

Improving Partnerships With Families and the Community

Resources

Glossary of Terms

References

Index

"This book takes the concept of multiculturalism a step further. It integrates a self-evaluative framework for making changes and includes a selection of tools with which changes or considerations for improvement of one’s own learning environment can be documented."

Rachel Mederios, ELL Teacher and Bldg. Program Supervisor

Jefferson Elementary School, Boise, ID

"The relevancy of this book should be recognized by every reader who acknowledges the diversity within any group of people. The processes are clear and the next steps are outlined so the practitioner can bring this into his/her classroom and meet the needs of every individual."

Thelma A. Davis, Principal

Robert Lunt Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV

Key features

Integrates two important aspects of education - culturally responsive teaching and standards-based teaching.
Demonstrates that teaching diverse learners is not antithetical to standards-based instruction.
Each chapter demonstrates different ways for teachers to identify the critical components of standards—what the students will learn—to recognize how these components are both intrinsic to and support a culturally responsive curriculum.
Contains detailed vignettes from real-life classrooms of how teachers and administrators have incorporated culturally responsive standards-based teaching methods into their curriculum with successful outcomes.
Helps teachers find the time and resources for culturally responsive standards-based teaching: Includes strategies for making small and gradual changes that result in meaningful, personal, and real-world connections for all students.
Includes self-assessments, reflection prompts, and checklists

The first edition of Classroom to Community and Back: Using Culturally Responsive, Standards-Based Curriculum contained a set strategies, tools, and resources that tap into students' cultures in a way that enriches the curriculum, expands opportunities for parent and community involvement, and boosts student achievement. The first edition included numerous snapshots of K-12 schools in the northwest states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and Washington where a culturally responsive curriculum is in place.

The second edition includes many of the same resources but offers many new snapshots that captures culturally responsive schools across the country, not just the northwest.

Preview this book

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Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface

Chapter 1

Steffen Saifer

Steffen Saifer has served as director of the Child and Family Program at Education Northwest since 2000 and as an adjunct faculty member at Portland State University since 1996, where he has taught graduate courses in education. His areas of work and expertise include cultural-historical activity theory, the role of play in human development, and school-family partnerships. Saifer has worked extensively in Russia and Eastern Europe, assisting in education curricula reform. He helped implement a graduate program in early childhood development at BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh (co-funded by the Open Society Foundation). He is the... More About Author

Keisha Edwards

Keisha Edwards is a trainer for the Oregon Parent Information & Resource Center (OR-PIRC) at Education Northwest. Her primary work is to design and deliver meaningful learning for educators and families on educational equity, cultural competence, and engaging diverse families as allies in the school change process. In this role over the past 5 years, Edwards has facilitated over 300 workshops, trainings, and coaching sessions with diverse audiences. As a result, she strongly believes that a new discourse, personal reflection, and deep dialogue across difference will soon be the most powerful and preferred strategies to transform school... More About Author

Debbie Ellis

Debbie Ellis is the project director for the Oregon State Parental Information and Resource Center (Oregon PIRC) at Education Northwest. Her area of work and expertise focuses on school/family partnerships, educational equity, and early childhood parent education. Ellis coordinates a statewide conference for educators and parents focusing on school-family partnerships, educational equity, and academic achievement. She assisted in the development of a statewide parent leadership curriculum to help under-represented parents, and developed a multi-media training for families. She has worked as a teacher and family advocate/parent educator and... More About Author

Lena Ko

Lena Ko is an advisor in early childhood education and school-family-community partnerships at Education Northwest. She has over 20 years experience training and coaching educators, coordinating professional development and technical assistance in model early childhood teaching centers, and consulting and technical writing for various education agencies. She has worked to help develop a state-wide family resource center project, as well as several federal grant initiatives to help communities improve outcomes for children and families. She has experience working with culturally diverse populations, in unique settings including children... More About Author

Amy Stuczynski

Amy Stuczynski is currently working with the Human Services Research Institute evaluating the use of family team meetings by public child welfare agencies. She began her career as a social worker for a community-based service organization for African American youth and families in Madison, Wisconsin. She later joined Education Northwest, where she wrote about language, literacy, and culture for six years. Amy holds a master's in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. More About Author

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